1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to laying heads of the type used in rolling mills to form hot rolled rods and other like products into rings.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a rolling mill laying head, a hot rolled rod is directed through a three dimensionally curved laying pipe removably held on the edge of an auger shaped support plate by a series of clamps. The support plate forms part of a pipe support that is rotated at high speeds to thereby form the rod exiting from the laying pipe into a continuous series of rings.
The clamps are typically held in place by pins which in turn are secured by retaining bolts. During mill operation, the hot rolled rod travels through the laying pipe at high speeds and is forced to follow the curvature of the pipe, resulting in frictional wear of the pipe interior. When wear becomes severe, which occurs at intervals dictated by the rod material, temperature and speed, the laying pipe must be changed. When making a pipe change, all clamps must first be removed before the worn laying pipe can be replaced with a new pipe, and the clamps must then be reinstalled once the replacement pipe is in place. This necessitates removal and replacement of the retaining bolts, a labor intensive and time consuming procedure, resulting in protracted mill downtime that adversely affects production and mill efficiency.
There exists a need, therefore, for an improved clamp assembly that not only securely retains the laying pipe in place, but that also can be more easily and rapidly removed and reinstalled when changing laying pipes.